Frederick Douglass Sacrifice

Frederick Douglass once said, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, he tells his story on enslavement and the journey to freedom. Part of this journey includes Douglass’s escapades of learning to read and write as well as his fight and victory over his slaveholder Mr. Covey. Learning to read and write and his victory over Mr. Covey were significant in Douglass’s journey to freedom because they bestowed an original determination and clarity to escape upon him, and brought his fiery desire to escape back when it was once burnt out. Learning to read and write was a significant moment because it made Frederick Douglass clear on the realization that he needed to escape, and was determined to do so.

Covey was significant because it brought his desire to escape back when he himself couldn’t. Before his fight, Frederick Douglass was working all day, depressed, and broken. He had no outlet but to pour his complaints out to God. Douglass states, “You are loosened from your moorings, and are free; I am fast in my chains, and am a slave! You move merrily before the gentle gale and I sadly before the bloody whip! (79). Here, Douglass tells God that he is defeated. He questions if he will ever be able to escape. After this, Douglass was given a root and told that it would protect him. So, he seized the opportunity and fought back against Mr. Covey when he was to be whipped. Frederick Douglass states, “It rekindled the few expiring embers of freedom… it recalled the departed self-confidence, and inspired me again with a determination to be free. It was a glorious resurrection from the tomb of slavery, to the heaven of freedom” (85). Before the fight, Douglass had given up. He was no longer determined. Afterwards, he had a new sense of life. His determination to escape was renewed. He felt unstoppable. Without this fight, he may have never escaped